The Office of the President and Cabinet has ordered ministers and their deputies to stop buying expensive luxury 4 x 4 vehicles after the Ministry of Agriculture spent around $130,000 on Gwanda Chakuamba’s BMW X5 last month.
A senior government official said this week the buying of Chakuamba’s vehicle, registration number BN 1462 prompted government to issue fresh instructions last week stopping the buying of 4x4s. Secretary to Treasury Milton Kutengule said on Thursday the Ministry’s controlling officer, Andrew Daudi, should explain how the Ministry of Agriculture financed the procurement of the BMW X5.
“The Ministry wouldn’t buy him [Chakuamba] a car because only the Office of the President and Cabinet is authorised to buy official cars and must be a Benz, no other car...Dr Daudi [Andrew PS for Ministry of Agriculture] should shed light on how he financed it,” Kutengule said.
A memo dated May 10, 2005, from OPC, written by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Bright Msaka stops any Minister and controlling officer from buying 4x4 vehicles. Msaka confirmed the instructions on Wednesday but declined to comment on whether the orders have been sparked by Chakuamba’s BMW.
“The current policy of government is that public resources should be used prudently and as a consequence, the procurement of vehicles should be with those principles in mind to buy cars that are functional and not luxuries. For example, we cannot buy a VX Land Cruiser because it is a luxury car, but we would prefer a Prado…,” Msaka said.
Daudi could not be drawn to comment on the matter the whole of this week, saying he was in meetings, while at other times his phone was not answered. Chakuamba could also not be reached to comment but one close aide said the minister asked for permission from the President to buy a new car.
At the current market price, the $130,000 could buy 750 metric tones of maize that could feed over 50,000 people for one month. Cutting on expenditure is the main feature of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s government which has so far received praise from the donor community.